The Coin
by Omega Ultra
Summary: Terrence McBride never knew why his father had to leave, but during a chance encounter with a white-haired man, maybe he can find out.


**A/N Hey guys! I'm back! And this time, with another feels-filled fic! Man, it's been a while, but I had to get a new computer because my old one… broke. I hope you guys enjoy! I thank Shinovii for his suggestion on the character name! I also thank Captain Dodge for looking over this fic!**

**I hope you enjoy, R&R!**

The Coin

"_I hate cemeteries,"_ Terrence whispered as he stepped along the pristine blades of grass. _"I don't get why they're so important, they're just one big reminder that everyone's going to die!"_ he sighed, glancing down at the mixture of blue and yellow roses his mother ordered him to pick up before heading here. _"Whatever… this is important to mom and I'd never forgive myself if I f-ed this up."_

And so, he took a breath and continued making his way through the rows of graves. When he was younger, his mother would walk with him, with her doing her best to hold back tears. But today, her age had finally begun to catch up with her, and so it was her son's duty to tread this somber path alone. _"Come on dad, you should be around here, right?"_

He glanced aside. _"Why'd you have to go all those years ago anyways? Mom said you felt called or something, but… you never came back!"_ He could feel a hint of rage rush through his body for a moment, only for a shake of his head to remind him of why he was here. _"Not the time Terrence, you can hate your father later."_

With that, he eased his gaze along the horizon. _"I wonder how many of them left their sons behind…"_ Rows upon seemingly never-ending rows of graves surrounded him, each one bearing the name of some servicemember killed in the line of duty, their bodies so close to him, yet he felt no connection. _"I never even got to meet you, dad. Mom said you died the day I was born,"_ He grit his teeth. "Dangit, I don't know where I am!"

He took a breath and sat down. "Great, now I'm lost in this place too… Mom said that this was where he's buried, right? So then why can't I find him?!" He continued to scan the area for another moment, frustration beginning to rush through his body, only for his gaze to fall upon a peculiar sight: a middle-aged man dressed in a white button-down polo shirt, blue jeans and an orange varsity jacket. He had white, buzz-cut hair and held his arms at his side, his right clutching a cane.

"_Maybe he knows…"_ Terrence's mind instantly jumped at the idea, quickly shaking his head in response. _"Bad idea. He's probably showing his respects… Heck, mom said dad was part of a super-secret unit or something! I doubt he'd even know…"_ He darted his head from side to side for a moment, the countless graves all seeming to meld together, only to sigh in defeat. _"But… if I don't at least try to ask him, I'm gonna be stuck here all day…"_ And so he climbed to his feet and stepped over.

"Hi there..." His voice was shaky, while he rubbed his shoulder nervously.

Slowly, the man looked up. "Huh?" he eased his gaze onto the child. "Oh, hello… how can I help you?"

Terrence awkwardly moved from rubbing his shoulder to scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for the grave of Clyde McBride. I know you've probably never-"

"He's right here." The man cut him off, pointing at the tombstone as he did so. His voice was monotone, perking up ever so slightly, before returning to normal. He looked into Terrence's eye with an intense glare which seemed to soften after a moment. "Are you his son?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I came to pay my respects…" He looked away for a moment. "Usually my mom would come, but she's sick today so she wanted me to go in her place."

"I see..." The white-haired man paused for a moment, before taking a step back, prompting Terrence to take a breath and clutch the bouquet tightly, before stepping over and taking a knee before the grave, placing the flowers as he did so.

For a moment, he simply stared at spot, the soft roses contrasting against the warm green grass. _"Mom always said his favorite colors were blue and yellow… I don't know why…"_His gaze softened, before he sighed. "I don't understand."

"Understand what?" the man asked.

"Why'd he have to go?" the boy replied. "My mom said he was a hero, how he fought for our freedom but… was it worth it? I've had to grow up without him…"

The white-haired man took a soft breath in reply, before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, prompting him to look up. "Sometimes, I ask that question too."

"Huh?" He turned and looked up.

"Son, whether you know it or not, your father was a great man." Suddenly, the once stoic man's voice began to soften, as his harsh gaze began to loosen up.

Terrence looked back to the grave. "That's what my mom tells me. How he was smart, punctual and all those good things, but I wouldn't know. He decided to go off to war after finding out mom was pregnant with me. I never even got to meet him… why was he so cowardly?!"

_"He wasn't... he was the bravest man I knew..." _For a moment, the man hesitated, taking the chance to choose his words carefully, before taking a knee and standing at his height. "Son… he did it because he loved you."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "Son, when Penelope found out she was pregnant, he wasn't much older than you, just barely starting college and suddenly having the responsibility of a child on his plate. He didn't know what to do."

The boy looked down. "Oh…"

"That's when he heard the call," he continued, prompting Terrence to look back. "He found himself scared, lost and unsure of what to do next, but he got the idea to join up. First to support you and two to serve his country. It was a long road, but he fought through it for you."

"He… did?"

The man nodded. "Yes. He worked his butt off, going so far as to make it into the special forces so that you'd be able to have a better life, even if the circumstances were unexpected."

Terrence didn't know how to respond.

And so, the visitor took a breath. "Hey, son, how's your mother doing?"

"She's doing all right I guess... always worried and stuff," He rubbed the back of her head. "She loves to protect me like I'm an egg or something."

A soft smile formed on his face. "That Penelope never changes."

Instantly Terrence looked up. "Wait… I never said her name... Who are you?"

"That's not important," the man instantly replied, before taking a breath and before refocusing on the boy. "How about school? Workin' hard or hardly workin'?"

"I'm top of my class," he said, his voice beginning to fill with confusion as the once soft air that formed began to tense up.

"That's good, he'd be proud," he replied, before stepping passed and standing before the grave, digging his free hand in his pocket.

Terrence couldn't help, but tilt his head in confusion. _"Well he's not telling me anything…"_ he thought, before looking into his eyes. "Mister… do you know how it happened?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "How what happened?"

"How my dad died..." His voice trailed off.

For a moment, the man hesitated, seemingly unsure whether or not to divulge what he knew. And yet, upon looking into the young boy's eyes, he found himself standing up straight as well as he could and taking a breath, before speaking in a soft, remorseful voice. "The reports said your father saved a fellow soldier. They said that as he terrorist leader stood over the man, preparing to execute him, he came from behind and fired his M1911 pistol. But due to the injuries he sustained earlier, he couldn't get a clean shot. As a result, the terrorist leader was able to turn back and retaliate, killing him, but allowing his friend to climb back up and tackle him, causing the terrorist to fall through the rooftop skylight and die upon impact with the ground. The other soldier was able to grasp a loose cable and swing, landing on the floor below as well sustaining injuries to his lower spine, but surviving."

For a moment, Terrence allowed the story to fill his mind with thoughts, all of the dots connecting one at a time. His father didn't just leave, he wanted to support him! And he wasn't a coward… he died protecting others. "My dad… was a hero?"

He nodded, before pulling a small object out and placing on the tombstone, keeping his hand held over. "He was. His actions saved millions of lives and resulted in the fracturing of a major terrorist organization," He glanced back. "Looking at you know, I've gotta say, your father would be proud. You came here to pay your respects, right?"

"Yeah?" Terrence went. "My mom really wanted me to go..."

"You know, it's interesting."

"What is?" He looked on in curiosity. "Paying respects?"

"Just... these small things that, while seemingly insignificant, mean so much." he continued. "For some, there's a clocktower in Hereford, where the names of the dead are inscribed. It's a reminder to try and honor their deeds even as their faces fade from our memory. But for others, we simply have these, trinkets to show we've never forgotten."

With that, he began to walk away, limping along as he did so.

"Wow..." Terrence whispered. as he watched the man walk away. "Wait!"

He glanced back, leaning on his cane as he did so.

"What's your name?"

The man paused again, before looking into his eyes. "Lincoln… my name is Lincoln," With that, he continued forward, before disappearing into the crowd of graves, leaving the young boy behind with his father.

"_He… He was a good man after all…" _Terrence then approached the grave and took a knee, placing a hand on the spot. "Don't worry dad, I'll make you proud, I promise," he said, before he looked up, at the object the man had placed: a single quarter.

With that in mind, the boy stood up and nodded, before turning and making his way out of the cemetery.

16-5-14-14-9-5-19 1-18-5 6-15-18 1-12-12, 14-9-3-11-5-12-19 1-18-5 6-15-18 20-8-15-19-5 23-8-15 20-18-1-9-14-5-4, 4-9-13-5-19 1-18-5 6-15-18 20-8-15-19-5 23-8-15 19-5-18-22-5-4, 1-14-4 17-21-1-18-20-5-18-19 1-18-5 6-15-18 20-8-15-19-5 23-8-15 23-5-18-5 20-8-5-18-5.

**A/N Woo! First new story of the year, and first new story written from my new computer! I hope you guys enjoyed! Anyways I'm gonna be on vacation for the next 2 weeks, and I've got a 22-hour flight ahead of me, so I'll probably be able to edit Beauty is Loud C12 soon! Stay tuned! I've got a lot in store for you guys!**


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